I try to keep an open mind, but some of the stuff people start spouting can be absurd. Then again, some things make me wonder.

Nitpicking Page 6/23/1977 (For Badgeholders Only) Pretty good audience source, maybe a little distant. TSRTS- This one seems a little more relaxed, especially through the first verses. First solo- Not bad, articulation isn't the best, but still very adequate. Outro solo- Sounds a little sticky, especially around 6:25 and 6:38, but the murky sound hides a lot. "B+". Sick Again- Absolutely perfect intro with some of the best drum fills I've heard for it. First solo- Nimble fingers at 2:40. Cool, weird phrase at 2:53. Nails the ending. One of the best I've heard. Outro solo- 5:15, maybe a flub but not sure. Very spastic phrasing, but it always is. 5:47-5:49, any guitarists know what he's doing here? I've never heard it before whatever it is. I think this one could've been a little faster, but it stomps along just fine. The solid performance and uniqueness of it makes it an "A+". C'mon soundboard Gods, smile upon us. NFBM- 1:36, wrong note somewhere. 1:52, another wrong note that makes that phrase sound very sinister, and Plant sings "Oh no". Harmonica- Pretty basic, not great. Solo- Page comes roaring in with excellent phrasing and fluid picking. Very nice. 6:10, Jones drops out for a second and if he'd stayed out for those last two bars I think it would've sounded hella cool for an ending. Despite the flubs, a solid "A". OTHAFA- Decent intro. 1:48, a common chord flub for Page. Solo- 2:56-3:04, plays some very mean sounding low notes. This builds nicely. 4:09, some bad articulation though it almost sounds intentional. Great phrasing throughout. 5:02, Jones flub (for shame, Jonesy). Another great solo and a fairly solid version. "A". SIBLY- Nimble fingers, great phrasing on the intro. Plant hanging onto the opening note for eternity. 2:37, my version almost sounds like a splice from a different night here. Maybe the source switched? Solo- Page jumps back to 71 with serious intensity. Well done. 7:53, Bonham goes all Moby Dick with the ending. Gotta be "A+". No Quarter- Nitpicking Jones- Starts off with a menacing keyboard phrase, then off to the races with an exciting piano routine. 11:47, massive fills like this are why Bonzo is simply the best. Blues jam- The guitar tone is very shrill here and his playing isn't that smooth. Guitar feeds back like crazy throughout. Does anyone know if he switched guitars here or something? Not bad, but not great. Guitar solo- Finally back to a good tone and better phrasing. 18:30-19:16, damn fine phrasing with Bonzo matching it. 21:22, a little loose through here, but some good riffing. 24:40, Jimmy Van Halen. Really good solo. Outro- Stunning wah soloing. 29:24, love when Plant does these banshee screams. Still an "A+" despite the mediocre blues jam. Ten Years Gone- Solid beginning. First solo- Pretty darn good. Second solo- Also good. Outro solos- 6:39, awesome double stop bends (pedal steel bends), very Keith Richards like solo. Page's excellent lead work on this one makes me wanna give it an "A+". This blows the studio version away. Kashmir- Something happens on my version at 2:14, a tape cut maybe, but the band seems to get off track a little as well. It gets back on and sounds good. Certainly not as atmospheric as the previous night, but pretty good. "B+". Trampled Underfoot- The source sounds worse for this. 0:48, Page gets abducted. Solo- Opens up with some blistering runs. Steadies out some with a fairly good flow. After the versions I heard from 75, this is a good, solid solo. 5:58, good wah pedal runs. A rollicking version, "B+". Achilles Last Stand- Beautiful intro without the harshness. First solo- Good fluidity. 3:57, loses the phrasing a little. A little repetitive but a good finish. 6:23, small flub. Second solo- 7:50, the delay effect doesn't work so good here. Not a bad version, but Page seemed to struggle a little to keep up with the pace and the solos were just adequate. "B+". Stairway To Heaven- 1:24, the way Plant sings "Stairway" here is magnificent. 5:23, Plant is a little flat on this. Solo- 6:02, is Bonham intentionally trying to throw everyone off? 6:34-6:43, stairway to phrasing heaven. Holy shit that was good. 7:19, Bonham's refrains here are too good, with Jones accenting perfectly. 8:47-9:04, you couldn't do that any better. Honestly, some of the articulation wasn't necessarilly 73 level Page, but it doesn't matter- the phrasing and passion of the band make this an unbelievably good listen. "A+". WLL- Partial Rock And Roll- Very energetic and downright raunchy with a good solo. "A". Final assessment- A very above average show, even for the LA run. Highlights are Sick Again, OTHAFA, SIBLY, No Quarter, Ten Years Gone, and Stairway- with one of the best solos ever. Bonzo seems to have calmed down a little compared to the first two, but still does some awesome stuff here. This one is in desperate need of a soundboard release.

I'd have to wait til I get all of them so I can compare them fairly. I've listened to these shows a hundred times, but it really is different when examining them closely. The first show is certainly more energetic and Page is playing with passion, but the second is more steady paced with highs and lows. My personal favorite was always Badgeholders Annual Meeting, so I'm interested in seeing if I ruin my own opinion of it.

If you didn't include an overdriven tone then some of the old jazz guitarists like Django would qualify. But I think you have to include it.

Let me be a little more specific; Involving an electric guitar with noticeable overdrive/distortion, who do you think was the first to play something that fit the mold of "shred guitar" before it was actually coined as a term? As in not just something blues-scale oriented, but more modal. Were there any jazz guitarists to fit that description? The Communication Breakdown solo is certainly a contender although it's mostly just a pentatonic run.

Wuut? I'll have to look into this. Thanks.

Nitpicking Page 6/22/1977 (Thirty Years Gone) Some bootleg ears required as the sources for this boot alternate. TSRTS- Frenzy of an intro. First solo- Hard to make out articulation, but sounds ok. Outro solo- 5:33, something sounds strange as he starts playing this very differently. Some parts sound really off, like at 6:00. "B". Sick Again- Perfect intro. First solo- Some nice bends and fluidity at the beginning, but doesn't get the phrasing down at the end. Outro solo- 5:08, some turkey gobbling. 5:27, I really like this riff he throws in. 5:50, straining a little. That outro solo knocks this down to a "B". NFBM- Horrible sine noise on the recording. Harmonica- pretty straight forward. Solo- really hard to make out, but sounds about average. "B+". IMTOD- Good beginning. First solo- A steady flow, but he's really not doing anything special. Second solo- He gets going a little more here, but again it's barely anything other than some basic slide routines. Not even really a solo. A good ending with Page and Plant playing off each other, doing some You Shook Me and "Squeeze my lemon". 13:00, "Mr Page's trousers are falling down". The lack of a proper solo makes this "B+". SIBLY- Good, solid intro with Page sounding very nimble, and Plant hitting that opening note perfectly. Solo- A good aggressive opening run into an elegant flow. 4:50, maybe a little spastic, not gelling with the rhythm perfectly, but still good. Excellent ending accented by Bonham. A solid version, though I was yearning to hear that solo go another four bars. "A". No Quarter- Nitpicking Jones- Starts a unique little melody at 7:05, which transitions into the "Silent movie" phase. Some audience members seem to get bored and strike up a convo. 13:00, Page comes in with some muted riffs, then launches into a good solo. 15:00, it's fun to hear Page do these Chuck Berry style riffs. 15:35, nice bends but sounds a little off and the others seem to take off and leave him a little. 16:22, good finish to that section. 19:37-20:01, a nice series of legato sounding runs and phrasing. Again at 22:03-22:23. A good solid jam, but I don't think there's anything too great going on. This song used to be Jones' showcase on keys, but in 1977 it feels like people are going to the bathroom during his solo. A lack of a solid structure and too much aimless wandering makes it drag, though I personally love his classical inspired piano stuff. "B+". Ten Years Gone- Sound quality is pure crap here, though the guitar comes through ok. Minor flub at 2:29. First solo- pretty solid, flub at 4:52. Second solo- Starts a little sloppy, but he pulls it together at the end. Outro- Flub at 8:12. Hang up at 8:38. Finally comes alive at 10:20. Hard to judge with the bad source, "B+". Kashmir- Finally a better source. Bonham's fills are massive. The mellotron is coming through just enough to make this sound truly epic. Plant's yell at 4:09 almost sounds fake it's so good. A very good version. "A+". OTHAFA- Page remembers that he forgot one. Flubs the intro a bit. Solo- 3:19-3:37, excellent playing. 4:53, nailing those bends. 5:00, sounds like he does the pick tap thing he did in 73. I missed this before. 5:43, the best I've ever heard him come out of the solo, putting emphasis on the last note as to say "And that's how it's done." An absolute shame he flubbed the intro and the quality isn't better. Still gotta be an "A+" for the solo alone. Achilles- Frantic tempo, I don't know how these guys keep up with it. 3:08, I think they almost pull a Tempe here as someone gets off track. Luckily they straighten out next measure and Page launches into an incredible solo. 6:23, awesome run. Second solo- very cool sounding with the delay effect. 8:11, wonderful yell by Plant. 8:40, Jesus, what an ending. Flub or not, I'm giving this an "A+". Stairway To Heaven- Minor flub at 1:49. 2:12, Jones doesn't come out of this right. 4:37, "Bonnng". Solo- Pretty straight forward until 7:15, which is played very elegantly. 8:43, that piano key slide got me rigid. Great solo. "B+" considering the flubs. WLL- Partial. Rock And Roll- Still lots of energy left. Solo- Sounds amazing, but is completely drowned out by the bass/bass drum. Bonzo finishes up like an elephant falling down some stairs. "A". Final assessment- I think the previous night was a more solid performance overall although this one had some standouts. SIBLY, OTHAFA solo, Kashmir, Achilles, and a very good Stairway solo are the highlights. I almost don't want a soundboard for this in fear of it revealing more flubs.

I'm going with John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. The stuff he did on The Inner Mounting Flame and Birds Of Fire are pretty remarkable.

I wanna do the LA shows, not sure if I'll get around to others. I'm definitely gonna get Earl's Court. I had this one already done and went ahead and posted. That first EC show is rough quality, and it sounds like Page is on fire for it, which is too bad. I owe it to myself to examine them more closely and at least see how good Page could be in 75. Nah, I'm cutting them down to just the electric guitar songs. No acoustic sections.

I'm omitting the acoustic sets from any of these because 1, the set is already gigantic and it would take me forever to do the whole thing, and 2, Page's playing doesn't vary that much on them other than some improvising on Bronyaur Stomp and White Summer. And although Page is a pretty good acoustic player, that's not where he shines, so it's unfair to judge it too much. Also omitting the drum and guitar solos. Nitpicking Page 6/21/1977 (Listen To This Eddie) We all know this show, so let's get to it. This was one of my first downloads, so I have no idea which actual version I have. The time sigs should be pretty close though. TSRTS- Undoubtedly the best intro of this song that I know of. Up-tempo and Bonham destroying his kit on the first few measures. First solo- Bonham matching Page's vigourous riffs. Second solo- Guitar is a little murky, but playing sounds good to me. This is "energy" defined musically. "A+". Sick Again- Almost a mathematical fact that bad things always seem to happen when there's a chance at perfection for a song. 0:44, Page either breaks a string on the intro and swaps guitars or has a cable issue. Solo- Missed note at 2:38, almost unnoticeable. Outro solo- 5:00-5:12, good fluid run. 5:34, a little sticky. Not a great flow, but good enough. "B+". NFBM- Pretty much flawless first half, though this is a song that's hard to screw up. Harmonica- I'm not the best judge of the instrument, but sounds like Plant knows his stuff. Solo- Pretty solid, maybe could've used a little better phrasing. "A". OTHAFA- Minor flub at 0:21. Plant seems to have some of his high range back. Solo- 3:04-3:12, absolutely love these bends. Superb phrasing. Articulation is a little hard to make out, but sounds pretty good. Top notch solo for this. 6:05, Page plays the out of tune string repetitively as to let his tech know. This is how this solo should've been played all through 75. "A". SIBLY- 0:42, yes sir. 3:04, Page matching Robert's vocals here makes me realize how sound his mind was for this show. Solo- "Suck it". Hangs up a little at 4:16. Very solid and fluid, maybe just a little spastic. A very solid "A" version. No Quarter- Nitpicking Jones- Very moody piano work that wanders on like the music to a silent film. Gets his Ray Charles going at 9:28. Boogie section- Page comes in with some steady lead work. 12:45, Bonham loses the beat for a second. 19:25, Bonham and Page having fun. Solid solo with Bonzo blasting away. Good outro. Apart from Bonham playing like a madman, there's nothing too noteable. "A". Ten Years Gone- Good solid start. First solo- Articulate, fluid, perfect phrasing. A minor flub at 3:41. Second solo- Pretty good. 5:34, tape cut, but the alternate source sounds good. Good playing on the outro. A first nitpick, so I'll say "A". Kashmir- 6:02, what a yell. Bonham does some cool, unorthodox fills at the end. A good version with the mellotron virtually absent. "A". Heartbreaker- Thunderous intro. Solo- Pacing himself nicely. 4:17, I know this is supposed to be somewhat intentionally sloppy, but this was almost a trainwreck. 5:00, Page was great at this type of noodling, should've done it more. 5:57-6:07, that's what I'm talking about. Good playing at the end of the solo with a nice extended jam. It's nice to hear this played with vigor again, unlike the 75 encores where it just sounds like they were legally obligated to play it. "B+" because of the choke in the solo. Achilles Last Stand- Very harsh guitar tone as he plays using the wah pedal. First solo- Spectacular. 4:41, minor flub. Second solo- Basically playing lead runs between the main riffs, very nice. Being the first time nitpick, I'll just rate this an "A". Stairway To Heaven- Solid first half. Solo- Extremely energetic playing and pretty good fluidity. 8:46, this little improvised riff sounds a little off. An "A" at the least. Whole Lotta Love (Partial)- The Alembic bass just doesn't work with this, in my opinion. Rock And Roll- 0:46. Bonham fires the tommy gun. 1:40, the version I have has a terrible sine wave noise present. Solo- 2:10, flubbed chord. Not bad. Final assessment- Bonham was feeling his oats (or coke) for most of this show. Page was quite impressive, playing with energy and a sound mind and I can't wait until he releases the multitrack later this year. We can dream, can't we?

A talented bunch who also do awesome Zep covers.

Nitpicking Page 3/17/1975 Seattle (Haven't We Met Somewhere Before) First night in Seattle. I've shamefully ever only skimmed through this one, so this will be fairly new to me. Maybe there's some hidden gems on here. Jones again way up in the mix. Rock And Roll- 1:13, Plant is a little shaky. Solo- 2:42, flub. A decent open. "B+". Sick Again- Good start. Solo- Some noticeable straining, but he makes it through. 3:32, minor flub. Outro solo- Phrasing and articulation are absent. 5:00, amateur bedroom jamming. A "B" version, despite good energy. OTHAFA- Some interesting technical issues; 0:33, G string is flat. There's a slight pause at 0:36 (Jimmy giving the peg a slight turn) and when he hits it at 0:38, it seems to be tuned up. Good intro. 1:37, loose guitar cable. 1:52, the wah pedal kicks in for some reason (which sounds quite interesting). The guitar tech probably checked the cable to the wah pedal and checked to make sure it was working. Back to the song/ Solo- His articulation kicks up a notch and he gets a good flow going. Very good. 4:15, excellent run. 4:33, listen to Jones and Bonham. 5:20, a little sticky. 6:03, Bonham switches the beat up. 6:08, Page's fingers slide right off the neck. 6:24, flub. 7:06, Plant sings some great lines through here. 7:33, Page strays from the original theme for some reason, sounds great though. This version has a ton of energy despite the technical issues and is actually one of the most entertaining versions I've heard. The solo was very impressive for 1975. So I don't really know how to rate it. I suppose the flubs and issues make it a "C+", though if you take those out it's an "A". IMTOD- 1:38, Page managed to get the slide stuck in the strings. 2:42, funny Plant flub. 4:08, sloppy slide through here. First solo- Decent start and does an excellent ascending run at 4:47. 5:26-5:55 is gold. Some of the best phrasing I've heard him do on this song. Second solo- 7:02, Bonham and Jones go insane through here. Page plays solid, but he's getting overshadowed. 8:03, damn, listen to Jaco Paul Jones. I think the tempo has doubled toward the end. Those couple of flubs are really unfortunate as this could have been one of the best versions ever. "B+". TSRTS- This unbalanced mix lets you imagine what this track would be like with only bass and drums. Wrong note by Jones at 0:55. Solo- Not too bad. Outro- Also not too bad. An adequate version. "B+". The Rain Song- 1:20, this sounds out of place for Plant. Overwhelming mellotron sounding choppy and drowning out Page. Rock section- Page drops out momentarily. Plant does excellent though. Great scream at 8:13 by Plant. "B+". Kashmir- Overwhelming mellotron. A remaster of this with heavy reverb might sound a lot better. 8:46, I don't know what happens on this one chord, but it sounds freaking awesome. Page apparently hits a power chord that resonates with the bass note and it sounds like it shakes the walls. It only happens once though. An excellent version with good vocal work, despite the mallowtron. "A". No Quarter- Nitpicking Jones- Very subdued and not getting a good flow going until the last half. Even the Bonzo jam is simplistic and overly repetitive. Page- Comes in with some decent noodling. 14:15, a good run. 19:00 and on finally has some good melodic moments and Bonham comes alive. The jam section just wasn't very dynamic like it usually is. "B+". Trampled Underfoot- Solo- Page gets some good phrasing down, although there's absolutely no good fluid runs. A perfectly average version. "B+". Moby Dick- Page's guitar sounds weird. 0:50, complete lack of articulation on the pull offs. A pretty dynamic version with lots of little change ups and triplets galore. Dazed And Confused- Bonham sounds delightfully impatient on the intro. 4:21, Plant squeak. First workout- Very good with the three really feeding off each other. Woodstock- Page goes off the beaten path a little before going into the main motif. Bow solo- Page doesn't transition into it very smoothly. Sounds kinda dull, even on a soundboard. Second workout- 20:43, Plant squeaks. 21:28, good run. The rest is mediocre at best. 26:22, gobbling. 27:10, sticky. Mars- Solid. Climax- Pretty good. Outro- Page doesn't have a lot to offer. This is all in all an average version with nothing really to point out, though Bonham does do some powerful drum fills. Page and Jones play pretty average. Plant sounds good for the most part. "B+". Stairway To Heaven- Plant sounds asleep at first, but picks it up later. Solo- Gets a good flow going and stays pretty solid throughout. 8:56, Bonham's offbeat drum fill throws Jones off. 9:27-9:32, that's one of the best riffs I've ever heard for this solo and should have been used again in every version. 11:06, very slight flub. 11:57, Plant squeak. A very good solo and an overall good version. "A". Whole Lotta Love- "Leaves are falling all around". Good raunchy intro. Funk section- The Crunge in full force with Plant getting almost all the lyrics in. Page slips at 2:27. Again at 3:08. Theremin- 5:08, Plant is having fun. Drags on way too long with nothing unique. Black Dog- Page steps on his cable at 3:06. Solo- Plant accidentally starts the chorus again. Page starts up some nice aggressive runs, sounding almost like 1971. Very good solo. good finishing run at 5:28. Despite the flubs, I think this qualifies as an "A" version. Final assessment- Like 3/21, this is an overall solid show, although a few notches lower on the energy level. It's a very listenable show, but don't expect to be blown away by anything. The mishaps on OTHAFA are very interesting to listen to though. Kashmir and the Stairway solo are the highlights.

Much appreciated. I think a live performance can be like an impressionist painting; If you stand back you see an amazing picture, but you get in close and you can see all the little details and smudges that create it. Zep were far too interesting a band to just take their music at face value. The details are just as great (to me) as the whole picture.

Nitpicking Page 3/21/1975 Seattle (Deus Ex Machina/Matrix) A redo of this review was in order since I mainly only pointed out the negatives originally. Jumping between the matrix and Deus Ex Machina because the EVSD soundboard is dry as hell and the matrix has the guitar low. Rock And Roll (Matrix)- Page's extra light strings are noticeable again, especially on that D5 chord. Solo- Not the smoothest he's played it, but still really good. Flub at 3:08. The energy and no squeaks from Plant make it an "A". Sick Again (Matrix)- Bonham is a wild man on this, throwing fills in almost every bar. First solo- Excellent start, good fluidity. Small hang up at 1:55. 3:50, Plant yodels. Outro solo- 4:02, bad notes. 4:26, slight straining. 4:48, slight hang up. Not too bad, "B+". "A+" for Bonzo. OTHAFA (Matrix)- Intro flub at 0:16. 1:17, slight flub. Plant's voice sounding very smooth. Solo- Pretty good noodling on the lower octave. 4:14-4:22, good speedy run. A very solid solo without the turkey gobbling it usually has. 5:56, a flubbed chord which sounded surprisingly good. "B+" because of the intro flub. IMTOD (Deus)- A rare chord flub at 3:30. First solo- Not bad, some sloppy phrasing. 5:40-5:44, Page isn't playing as precise with the slide on this one as he usually does. Second solo- Repetitve in spots, not a great flow. 9:10, nice little riff. Some lackluster slide work holds this to a "B". TSRTS (Deus)- Smooth opening. Small flub at 1:31. First solo- Pretty solid. Second solo- Not as precise, but still good. "A". The Rain Song (Deus)- Plant sounds great. The mellotron, although in tune, is so choppy it almost sounds like a tape being played backwards. Rock section- Page chokes the chords a little which takes away from the impact. An adequate version that almost seems too relaxed, "B+". Kashmir (Deus)- 3:21, someone misses a chord. 3:47, the guitar and mellotron really aren't gelling through here. There's some harmonic dissonance between them. 7:32, Page flub. Not bad, but enough flubs to make it a "B". No Quarter (Matrix)- 1:31, Jones flub. 2:36, flubbed notes? Something sounds weird anyway. 6:05-6:37, Ladies and Gentlemen, JPJ. 7:29, got me shouting "Halleluja praise the lawd" over here. Again at 8:38. Bonham comes in for a spectacular jam. Enter Page- 13:33, good run. 15:30, decent run. 15:48, good aggressive run. I think Page feels pressure to match what Jones did. 22:49, some fine guitar work with an excellent outro. A top tier version, "A+". SIBLY (Deus)- 3:14, Maybe he meant to, but Jones hits a major chord instead of a minor which sounds interesting. Solo- Pretty solid. "A". Trampled Underfoot (Deus)- 0:27, what are those lyrics, Plant? 0:54, wrong bass pedal note. Jones seems lazy on the solo. Page- 4:07, turkey gobbling supreme. Page slows down and focuses on the phrasing, which isn't great. 6:04, fooling around. Right hand comes alive at the end. Outro is just ok. Nothing exciting here, "B". Moby Dick (Deus)- A good version with lots of change ups. Dazed And Confused (Deus, sounding less dry now)- Plant is cracking a little and Page has a string sounding flat. 3:49, Page stops for a second to tune up maybe. First workout- Good jamming by Page. 6:24, articulation is a little rough, but his phrasing is on point. Woodstock- 8:17, guitar is still outta tune. 9:08, how is Jones making that bass note sustain so well? 9:24, very cool riff and jam. 10:51, Plant crack. 11:12, good riff. 12:00, Plant does some good stuff through here. Bow section- good amount of creepiness without dragging on too much. Second workout- 22:35, Page comes alive with a good aggressive run. 23:15, sticky fingers. 23:25-23:41, nice series of runs. 24:40, I don't think he played that right, but it still sounded ok. 25:26-25:50, excellent phrasing and good fluid runs. 27:02, Bonham can be heard saying "Do it again!" to Page. 29:43, Bonham gets impatient. 30:05, a little sloppy. Mars- pretty solid. 32:50, I love this little riff. 33:38, the climax gets miffed a little bit. Finale- 38:35, Plant lands his spacecraft. 39:53, I love how Jones matches Bonzo's kick here. Page's playing was surprisingly better than I realized for this and unlike a lot of versions, there were no boring parts and very little bedroom jamming. Although this is a very entertaining version for 75, I don't think it was explosive enough to stand out in any real way. It's a very solid "A" performance. Stairway To Heaven (Deus)- 2:18, Jones ends on the wrong note. Solo- Very average until 8:08, when Page starts a nice intricate flow. 9:18, a good series of descending runs. 10:41, a little sloppy sounding. A good climax to end the song. Edit the solo from Montreal into this and it would have been superior. "A". Whole Lotta Love (Deus)- Good aggressive start. Funk section- The Crunge is held together quite nicely. 3:20, Page gets off track a little but jumps right back on with some good riffing. Plant tries Licking Stick, but Page moves on. Theremin- Goes on way too long, although Bonham and Jones are tearing it up. 9:00, Page finally jumps back in with some more funk riffs. Excellent finish leading into Black Dog. "A". Black Dog (Deus)- Page's guitar has some good grit and is less twangy than other 75 versions. Solo- 3:59, sticky fingers. 4:20, he catches those tough bends nicely. Not a lot of fluidity on the solo, but fairly good phrasing. "B+". Communication Breakdown (Deus)- 1:20, guitar and vocal in perfect unison. Solo- I don't like this with the chorus effect he's using, but he's playing like a madman, very good flow and articulation. Why didn't he play the Black Dog solo like this? "A". Heartbreaker (Deus)- 0:26, caught a Jones flub. It's like spotting an animal thought to be extinct. Solo- Good phrasing and playing throughout with lots of energy. Final assessment- The initial nitpick because I got tired of people saying "Page was on fire" when I knew, from a technical standpoint, he really wasn't. He was just "ok" for the most part. He played like he should have as a pro musician, nothing really exceptional. Although Page wasn't as on as some other shows, this is still maybe the most solid show overall, with the rest of the band sounding very good with Plant not cracking much at all. "No Quarter" and "Dazed" are certainly standouts as some of the best of the tour. Plus surprisingly good versions of "SIBLY" and "Communication Breakdown". Another strange performance where Page seems to improve as the show went on.

I love Walsh, but I've never been so disappointed then when I actually listened to some of his entire albums. The stuff you hear on the radio is not what you get on the rest of the record.

Boy does this look like a big lop of shit.

Nitpicking Page 3/20/75 Vancouver (Canadian Crush) The follow up to the excellent show from the previous night. Great sounding, balanced soundboard (with Jones again up front a little and excellent clarity on the drums). Rock And Roll- Tape cut jumps straight to the verses leading into the solo. Plant doesn't sound as warmed up tonight. Solo- Adequate, but a little sticky. 1:20, Plant yodel. Side note- 1:21, the guitar sound makes me think Page is using extra light strings because it sounds like it's tuned a little high, but what's happening is he's pushing down hard on the D5 chord here and the light string guage (being more flexible) is ringing out higher. I suspect the light strings accomadate his injured finger, though they also sound more thin and twangy. Sick Again- Plant has smoothed out some. First solo- Very solid, with just a slight absence of fluidity. Outro solo- Some slop at 4:16. 4:27-4:33, sticky fingers. Plant mentions the "Pugnant" smells coming from the audience, I think he meant "Pungent". Overall a fairly solid version. "B+". OTHAFA- Good intro. I really wish Page could have opened this live with an acoustic, maybe mounted to a stand of some sort so he could keep his electric on for the main riff. Minor chord flub at 1:17. 2:08, Plant wasn't ready. Solo- Weird note at 2:47. Some good fluidity at 3:00. 3:40-3:50, good noodling. 3:54, missed note. 4:12, listen to Jones! 5:17, Page improvs some staccato style chords that sound pretty good. 6:38, careful Robert. Good version with a fairly solid solo. "B+". IMTOD- The guitar drops a little in the mix. First solo- Good flow, with Bonham and Jones really accenting it. Page doesn't go wild, but he puts down some solid phrasing. Second solo- Page gets more creative and does some unique stuff, excellent. "A". TSRTS- Page cranks up his electric banjo, sounding especially twangy here. First solo, 2:53, a little sticky. Outro solo- Nimble fingers return. Good energy for a solid "B+". The Rain Song- Excellent sound. Mellotron- 1:54, weird notes. The sound quality actually makes the fake symphony sound a little cheesy and over-bearing. Rock section- Hits pretty hard with Plant belting out some good throaty vocals. "A", despite the not-so-mellow-tron (heh). Kashmir- Warning: Over-bearing mellotron. But fortunately the bass pedal is subdued. 3:16, a rare Jones flub. 4:17, Plant goes for the heavens. 4:49, Plant squeak. 7:38, there's that confounded bass pedal. Page sounding good on the outro. 8:22, that awesome drum fill again. I have to say, I personally enjoy the versions where Jones is non existent on this. Still a solid version, "A". No Quarter- Nitpicking Jones- 7:39-8:00, wonderful little melody. Very un-Zep like. This section plays out more like a film soundtrack. Page comes in elegantly. 12:44-13:00, nice series of runs and riffs. Page is in the zone here, playing with good fluidity and phrasing. 15:18, wah pedal kicks in and makes the guitar very toneless and shrill. 18:00, Page never seems to have much to offer on this wind down part and is stepping on a good jam between Jones and Bonham. He's be better suited hanging out until the main riff comes in again, but that's my opinion. Outro- a solid finish. "A". Trampled Underfoot- Energetic with Plant sounding good. Jones is doing some neat stuff on his solo. Page- Maybe not shredding, but playing in a way that really accents the music and falls in line with the groove. 5:52, takes Jones and Bonham a couple seconds to get back on the main riff. Strong version, "A". Moby Dick- A dynamic performance with enough change ups to keep it interesting, combined with superior sound quality. Dazed And Confused- 2:21, Plant yodel. First workout- 5:09, awesome run. Page has a good flow going. The dry guitar tone doesn't sound great though. Woodstock- A flamenco style lead in to a stunning version, with Plant sounding like his older self. One of the best I've heard. Bow section is a little subdued except for when the drums enter, which sounds great. Second workout- 27:20-27:37, Page and Jones have a duel. Articulation is a little rough, but his phrasing is excellent through here. 29:00-29:20, Page is tearing it up. 29:40, some turkey sounds but still a nice run, aggressive run. Mars- Guitar is out of tune (I actually noticed it after the bow section, but he managed to avoid playing that string somehow til now). The climax hits hard though the guitar tone becomes very twangy, not Pagey's fault though. Finale- 36:35, Page is somehow doing dive-bombs on a Les Paul. The finale drags on a little. An excellent performance with Plant sounding enthusiastic and Bonham adding lots of nice little accents to Jimmy's playing. 39:37, a fan mentions the "Jack Daniels pic, which Plant acknowledges. Gotta be "A+" for 75, especially considering the Woodstock section. Stairway To Heaven- Good tempo, but the mellotron is just slightly flat, almost unnoticable. 3:28, some flubbed chords on this ascending riff. Solo- 7:02-720, very sloppy. He gets back on track shortly after with some good phrasing and knocks the final four runs out of the park. I've gotta rate this track more critically than others and the flubs keep it at a "B". Whole Lotta Love- 0:49, I love the way Page bends the chord here. Funk sections- Plant with the nimble toungue on "Licking Stick". Ozone Baby riffs galore. Theremin- Everything from a broken Atari to whale's screwing, with Jones putting down some RHCP bass lines. I can't imagine anyone on acid for this would've walked away sane. A cool version, but no "Crunge". "A". Heartbreaker- Page's fingers aren't quite hitting the strings on the intro for some reason. 1:56, he puts down some very good fluid leads here. 2:48, not sure what's going on, maybe a technical problem. The solo- Sure it's subpar compared to others and he struggled some, but I've heard him do worse in some versions of Trampled Underfoot and D&C. 5:20-5:50 isn't bad at all. This is a bedroom jam solo and that's what it sounds like. 8:46, a very nice fluid run. 9:36, some flubs. Still gotta give it a C+. Final Assessment- Another great showing from Page in Vancouver, where he always appears to be sober when he plays. I'm not sure if either show is better, but they're both definitely great for 1975 with Plant sounding very good. Apart from Trampled, Dazed and Whole Lotta Love, I'd pick the 19th as the overall better show, with a more fluid Page.

You can literally hear him tuning the guitar twice during Dazed. I time stamped it if you wanna see for yourself, but I'm sure you'll just say he was experimenting with alternate tunings while in the middle of a song or something similar. I only mentioned the songs played with a Les Paul to be out of tune- for the entire show. You're either daft or you didn't read my post on the show. And there are songs from this show on DVD? Where? Edit: Granted, I'm also baffled that he would use the same Les Paul with tuning problems when he had back ups. I'm just calling it like I hear it.

Spit on my laptop. I think people think I'm trying to dictate what's good and bad and override their opinion with technicality. Like you said, I enjoy the Tempe show. I sure as hell wouldn't wanna nitpick it though.

I only used that as an example, but 3/24 is debatable considering he was out of tune for the entire show. But like I said, we can all say the versions with missed notes and sticky fingers are our favorites. Technicalities can't change opinions.

Only because there seemed to be no interest in it. I'm sure I could find something interesting on it.

I'd really dread doing most 73 shows because at least with the 75 shows, I can find a good array of both good and bad. With 73, I'd just be boring people to death jerking off over Page.

Definitely overlooked some good performances. But I also found some that were worse than I thought. And I admit I tried to pick out only the bad parts of 3/21, and I still stand by the fact that Page was slightly out of it for that show, despite the big set list and energy. I may redo that one the way I'm doing them now, but I guarantee you people will still scream foul lol.

Alright, you folks have to let me know. Are enough people enjoying me doing these and see them as relevant, or am I ruining people's enjoyment of the shows by over-analyzing? If so I'll stop. I know I've certainly found things that I'd missed before and learned to appreciate other things by looking more closely, but I'll keep the nitpicks to myself if they're annoying too many people.

Nitpicking Page 3/19/1975 Vancouver (Snow Jobs) *except Dazed And Confused in which I used the Canadian Crush boot as my file was corrupted.) Also known as the "Jones up front" bootleg, with the line from Jones' audio feed being very loud. Also a very clear, albeit a little dry, soundboard. Rock And Roll- Plant doesn't sound half bad out of the gate. Solo- Pretty solid. "A". Sick Again- Good energy. Solo- Good fluidity and phrasing. Very nice. Page gets a little loose on some chords. Outro solo- Doesn't flow great, but he's making it work with nimble fingers. Somewhere between "B+" and "A". OTHAFA- Good intro. Guitar tuning is a little questionable. Solo- Good fluidity without much straining. An awkward ending at 6:46. Page loses his way a bit at the end. Overall very good performance. "A". IMTOD- A good, swampy tempo. This song sounds good either too slow or too fast. If they play it at a normal speed it's boring. First solo- Good flow and phrasing. Jones is tearing it up as well. Second solo- A little looser than the first. The "Oh my Jesus" section is exceptional, with Page throwing in a guitar response. "Whoa Georgina. Whoa Georgina. Lick your p..*CENSORED*." Despite the Mature rating, "A+". TSRTS- Now this is a song that needs the bass up front. Hallelujah. First solo- Fingers just a little sticky, but still pushing through ok. Plant yodel at 3:07. It's inevetible on this song. Outro solo- Again, just a tad sticky, but probably unnoticeable to the average, non-nitpicking listener. A solid "A", very close to an "A+" considering the energy level. The Rain Song- Sounding good. C'mon mellotron, don't fail me now. In tune, alright. Why they insisted on using this thing baffles me. Imagine how great this would sound with some fine piano work from Jones. Rock section- Mellotron is crowding the mix, but not too bad. No real flubs, a solid "A" version. Kashmir- 2:25, Plant squeak. 3:39, wrong foot note, but he is playing three parts at once here. 4:25, excellent yell from Plant. 6:06, not a good yell from Plant. 8:18, Bonham catches the snare rim. Poor Page is so low in the mix I can't even nitpick him. Plant's voice cracks keep this at a "B+". Otherwise, excellent version. No Quarter- Nitpicking Jones- Sultry, confident, smooth, sophisticated, groovy, just put any positive adjective on this. Page dances into the party like an already half drunk guy knocking over vases, as usual. 11:32, flub. Now, that was an unwarranted metaphor (Although it certainly applies to other versions). He's actually laying down some very fluid playing here for once. Very refreshing. 13:28-13:38 is the "fall back riff" used successfully, and not as a last resort. 13:38-13:57, 1973 level noodling. Very nice. Gets a little loose after 14:00. 17:20, Page is actually gelling with the other two instead of just soloing wildly until he's done. Nicely done. Outro solo- 22:31, excellent, aggressive bends. This version goes to show that when Page was hot, he could ascend to a level that made other guitarists sound phony. How rare that was in 1975. This is how the song was meant to be played. "A+". Trampled Underfoot- 2:03, Plant feeling good. Solo- Good start. Some serious slop at 4:06-4:20. Catches himself and slows it down a bit. Right hand comes alive at 5:24. Aggressive ending. Despite some sloppy lead work, the energy alone makes this a "B+". Moby Dick- Decent, very intricate version which will bore non drummers and interest others. Dazed And Confused (From "Canadian Crush")- Minor flub at 4:06. First workout- Some good energetic noodling out of the gate. 5:20-5:40, very nice series of riffs. He slows down a little to collect himself. Woodstock- Sluggish flow leading in. Gets going good and Page is having fun with it. Beautiful rendition. Bow section- Almost professional sound quality makes this really pop, and I can't listen to it without picturing Page at Boleskine doing some weird Crowley ritual. 21:00, Page is a little out of tune and either takes time to tune or swaps guitars, but it's a seamless transition nonetheless. Workout- Again, comes in blazing, sounding almost like a 1973 version. 23:41, good speedy run. Mars- Bonham leads in with a different drum pattern and Page flubs the chords pretty badly, or he's way out of tune. 32:51, they nail the climax. 34:50, Freebird notes. Excellent series of runs to finish it up. This is a good performance that is very reminiscent of the movie/MSG 73 version. "A". Stairway To Heaven- Some unique sounding keys and guitar bits on the intro. 3:13, damn Rob, where'd that come from? 4:10, alright, maybe overdoing it a little?. Solo- 8:40, some flubbed notes. Otherwise a very smooth solo. It does seem to lack some fire, although it's played very fluidly. 10:37, Plant squeak. I feel like this is an "A" version, but the lack of energy, possibly from the guitar being low in the mix, makes me wanna give it a "B+". Whole Lotta Love- Funk section- The Crunge actually flows well. Maybe the best live version? Theremin- adequate. 6:58, Page has some trouble getting into the Licking Stick rhythm. 7:44, by the time Plant joins in they leave him behind. Still an entertaining version, "B+". Black Dog- Guitar is sounding very dry and flat on this SB. Solo- 4:30, what in the hell? Not great, but not bad. A solid "B+" version. Final assessment- This was one of the first boots I listened to and completely misjudged it originally. One of the best Page showings of the tour and one of the best overall shows. Everyone sounds great, even Plant who only had a few voice cracks. Also with perfect sound quality.